Reading program motivates

I just wanted to say thank you to the king county library system for their summer reading program.

I’m 11 years old and I’ve been participating since I moved here when I was five. It has really motivated me to read more and become a better reader.

The Wild Waves Theme and Water Park tickets were the best prize yet. My family had a lot of fun there. I am looking forward to doing it again next year.

Gavin Johnson

Sammamish

Always proofread

I could not agree more with John O’Connor’s editorial of Aug. 31, 2018, (“Community: A smart investment”) where he stated the value of a local newspaper such as the Issaquah-Sammamish Reporter as a community investment. But it broke my heart this paper — on which I depend for accuracy — did not proofread the editorial and let it go to press with this error regarding subscription costs: “The monthly price will be $39…”

The price of $39 is the annual cost, as confirmed by the full back-page ad. Hope you didn’t lose any potential subscribers who thought a year’s worth of the Reporter might cost them $468! And as we all learn the hard way: always proof just one more time.

Beata Jachulski Baker

Sammamish

Not as easy as Rossi thinks

Dino sent us another letter. This time he says the Democrats don’t care about deficits. Really, which party rammed through the budget busting tax cut in December 2017? But you know that. What you and Dino may not know ( and the reason i’m writing this) is something called the Hastert Rule.

This is named for former speaker (and convicted child sexual predator) Denny Hastert. When the Republicans control the House, they only bring up bills that a majority of their caucus approves. So the tea party wing can block any “across the aisle initiatives.”

If this weren’t the case the House would have put up a bill on DACA (Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals policy) that a majority of house members support

So when Dino says that he can work across the aisle just like he did in Olympia, tell him he doesn’t understand how the House works when the Republicans are in control. And as a freshman congressman he will not be able to change the Hastert Rule. I only spent one year as a low-level flunky working for a congressman, and I know this — how come Dino doesn’t?

Charles Bird

Sammamish

Loyal to local newspapers

The journalistic terms, “who, what, when, where, why and how” were originated as a guide to reporters to insure they included these categories within the first few sentences or the first paragraph of their articles. Newspapers, especially, used these directives to maintain the reader’s interest in the story.

With this in mind, now might be an appropriate time for us to examine our relationship with our local newspapers and the ways in which “who, what, when, where, why and how” becomes our responsibility to stay informed.

The “who” would be you. The “what” would be your local newspaper. The “when” would be for you to read it soon and often. The “where” would be anywhere. The “why” would be to gain important information. And last, but not least, the “how” would be to read it in print or online.

Lately, with the onset of numerous other mediums relating the news in a variety of ways, it seems that there is a degree of confusion concerning what is factual and what is untrue reporting. Hopefully, with this current degree of uncertainty of the legitimacy of many news sources, print journalism, i.e., newspapers, will make a much-needed comeback.

It is extremely important that what we read in your local newspaper is informative, factual and evokes a gratifying response that will leave us with a wealth of trusted and valuable knowledge.

In Shakespeare’s “King Lear” there is a quote that states that legitimate is a fine word when denoting the status of one’s birth. However, nowadays, legitimate may also refer to the factualness of newspapers.

Granted the five “Ws” and the one “H” are not limited to the profession of journalism, as the basic concept has been applied to school assignments, research tools and even criminal investigations. Nevertheless, it is the local newspaper that continues to share information relating to a number of areas important to us and will continue to keep us up-to-date concerning various factual and many of the important aspects related to our community and world events.

Therefore, let us persist in placing our loyalty in our local newspapers to accurately provide us with the “who, what, when, where, why and how” that affect our daily lives. Your part in all of this would be to renew and maintain a subscription to your local newspaper and keep on reading and enjoying this cherished opportunity to stay well-informed and up-to-date.

In closing, it is important that we keep reading our local print media.

Larry Crandall

Sammamish

Add more time to recess

Hi. My name is Noah Foxman, and I’m from Boy Scout Troop 699. I’m 11 years old and I attend Beaver Lake Middle School.

Here at Beaver Lake Middle School, students want a recess that is longer than what we have, which is only 10 minutes long.

Because kids my age tend to get lots of energy but can’t use it all in 10 minutes they are often very hyper the rest of the day, and usually don’t have time to get their energy out.

Many of my friends and I would like the district to add at least 10 minutes to our recess time. Studies show that recess burns off calories so students can concentrate longer in class. Recess can reduce stress so students won’t be worried about failing a test which could possibly help them get a higher score. Recess also improves on your health and can help you be a better athlete. Kids soak up vitamin D from the sun. And, finally, physical activity wakes up your brain.

Thank you for reading my letter.

Noah Foxman

Issaquah

Longer green lights would be nice

Traffic lights in Issaquah are an issue.

For example, in the Issaquah Highlands, there are a few traffic lights that turn from green to red in 45 seconds to one minute or so.

I recommend that the stop lights should stay green for a little longer, and people would really appreciate it.

Thanks.

Jacob Angell

Issaquah

Help Rossi remain private citizen

Dino Rossi, Republican candidate for Washington’s 8th Congressional District, has yet to release his tax returns. That refusal alone should make voters reject Rossi’s candidacy. Failure to disclose his financial status proves he is not worthy of the public trust.

When one desires to become a public servant, one relinquishes the luxury of financial privacy. Transparency must be the norm. Without it, how can voters truly make an informed choice? They can’t. But Rossi is determined to remain as opaque as possible.

Let’s be clear. Tax returns provide indispensably vital pieces of information. We should carefully note that not having President Donald Trump’s tax returns left the U.S. electorate in the dark, lacking critical information. We were left to wonder: does Trump have financial ties with Russian banks? Or Russian oligarchs? Is he really as rich or as charitable as he says? How does the revised tax code affect him? How many paramours has he paid off? Too many unanswered questions engender mistrust.

Without Rossi’s tax returns, we must assume that he has something to hide. And I prefer sunshine to darkness. We should all help Rossi remain a private citizen.

John Scannell

Sammamish

Refugee numbers too low

A refugee is someone who has fled from his or her home country and cannot return because he or she has a well-founded fear of persecution based on religion, race, nationality, political opinion or membership in a particular social group.

In 2016 during the last year of President Barack Obama’s administration, nearly 85,000 refugees were welcomed to the United States. After President Donald Trump took office, things changed dramatically. In January 2017, refugee placement was halted and travel and refugee bans were put in place. Statistics released by the Department of Homeland Security in June 2017 showed that the number of refugees admitted to the U.S. had fallen by nearly half under Trump when compared with the final months of Obama’s presidency.

The cap for 2018 was set at 45,000. As of Aug. 31, the Refugee Processing Center in Virginia reported that 19,899 individuals had arrived and been placed in the United States. This means that less than half of the refugees that could have been admitted were actually able to complete the process.

On Sept. 17, the Trump administration announced that the maximum number of refugees that will be allowed into the United States next year will be capped at 30,000.

I think that this number is way too low. We have the space and resources and materials to build housing and provide jobs to help welcome refugees into our communities in the United States. We are blessed in this country with so many freedoms and opportunities that so many other countries do not give to their citizens. We should be more welcoming to help people who have been forced to flee their homes and go into refugee camps.

Sam Yukish

Sammamish

A voice in the House

It is remarkable that, even with an onslaught of damaging policies from Trump administration, voters still need reminders to vote. Almost as if folks, seeing their house on fire, have decided to finish their coffee first before grabbing a hose.

However, one cause of this apathy, on both sides, is not hard to see. The Senate is inherently stacked against Democrats. As David Wasserman (Cook Political Report) recently wrote in New York Times “a majority of the Senate represents only 18% of the nation’s population” and the crucial Senate races in November are “much whiter, more rural and pro-Trump than the nation as a whole. In effect, geography could again be Mr. Trump’s greatest protector.” The Senate is dominated by a group of Senators who don’t give a whit about 82 percent of the nation’s population. Such is our system. Even in a good year Democrats have a steeper hill to climb in the Senate. This happens to be a particularly bad year.

Only true representation of the nation’s population as a whole is the House. As a whole, not just the favored 18 percent, the nation has a voice in the House. This brings me to our crucial House elections in November. For voters of the 8th Congressional District there is one real opportunity to send a clear message to Trump. And that message can only be delivered by one candidate – Kim Schrier. Please vote for Dr. Schrier.

Sankar Ray

Sammamish

Attacks on Dr. Schrier are hypocritical

The “dark-money” attack ad on congressional candidate Dr. Kim Schrier is insulting and hypocritical. Produced by Republican Paul Ryan’s “political action committee,” they think voters are stupid enough to believe Dr. Schrier is a rich, greedy pediatrician.

The hypocrisy is mind bending. Ryan loves Ayn Rand, who proselytized selfishness, calling Jesus immoral. Ryan and Republicans want to kill Obamacare, Medicaid, Medicare and Social Security. Ryan doesn’t care about children on Medicaid.

Negative ads aim to suppress the vote of the opposition party. Why vote if Schrier is just as greedy as Rossi?

Dr. Schrier is brilliant and became a pediatrician to help children. If motivated by greed, she could have made more money selling real estate.

Months ago, I chatted with Dr. Schrier after a public meeting. As we left, she said, “Your shoelace is untied” and kneeled to tie my shoe. She didn’t want to see an old guy — me — trip. A spontaneous act of care which speaks volumes about her character.

The truth is Dr. Schrier cares deeply about people’s health.

The truth is Dr. Schrier does not have a private practice, and works for Virgina-Mason who sets the percentage of Medicaid patients they will take.

The truth is Dr. Schrier has a plan to negotiate lower drug prices and to offer a public option based on Medicare.

The truth is Dr. Schrier wants everyone to have health care.

More dishonest attack-ads are coming. Don’t be fooled.

Roger Ledbetter

Snoqualmie